Average National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) mathematics scale score, by age and selected student characteristics: Selected years, 1973 through 2012

[Standard errors appear in parentheses]

Selected student characteristic

1973

1978

1982

1986

1990

1992

1994

1996

1999

20041

2008

Previous format

Revised format

2012

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

9-year-olds

All students

219

(0.8)

219

(0.8)

219

(1.1)

222

(1.0)

230

(0.8)

230

(0.8)

231

(0.8)

231

(0.8)

232

(0.8)

241

(0.9)

239

(0.9)

243

(0.8)

244

(1.0)

Sex

Male

218

(0.7)

217

(0.7)

217

(1.2)

222

(1.1)

229

(0.9)

231

(1.0)

232

(1.0)

233

(1.2)

233

(1.0)

243

(1.1)

239

(1.0)

242

(0.9)

244

(1.2)

Female

220

(1.1)

220

(1.0)

221

(1.2)

222

(1.2)

230

(1.1)

228

(1.0)

230

(0.9)

229

(0.7)

231

(0.9)

240

(1.1)

240

(1.0)

243

(1.0)

244

(1.0)

Gap between female and male score

2

(1.3)

3

(1.3)

4

(1.7)

#

(†)

1

(1.4)

-2

(1.4)

-2

(1.4)

-4

(1.4)

-2

(1.3)

-3

(1.5)

1

(1.4)

1

(1.3)

#

(†)

Race/ethnicity

White

225

(1.0)

224

(0.9)

224

(1.1)

227

(1.1)

235

(0.8)

235

(0.8)

237

(1.0)

237

(1.0)

239

(0.9)

247

(0.9)

245

(0.8)

250

(0.8)

252

(1.1)

Black

190

(1.8)

192

(1.1)

195

(1.6)

202

(1.6)

208

(2.2)

208

(2.0)

212

(1.6)

212

(1.4)

211

(1.6)

224

(2.1)

221

(2.1)

224

(1.9)

226

(1.8)

Hispanic

202

(2.4)

203

(2.2)

204

(1.3)

205

(2.1)

214

(2.1)

212

(2.3)

210

(2.3)

215

(1.7)

213

(1.9)

230

(2.0)

229

(2.0)

234

(1.2)

234

(0.9)

Gap between White and Black score

35

(2.1)

32

(1.5)

29

(2.0)

25

(2.0)

27

(2.4)

27

(2.2)

25

(1.8)

25

(1.8)

28

(1.8)

23

(2.2)

24

(2.2)

26

(2.1)

25

(2.1)

Gap between White and Hispanic score

23

(2.6)

21

(2.4)

20

(1.7)

21

(2.3)

21

(2.3)

23

(2.5)

27

(2.5)

22

(2.0)

26

(2.1)

18

(2.2)

16

(2.1)

16

(1.4)

17

(1.5)

13-year-olds

All students

266

(1.1)

264

(1.1)

269

(1.1)

269

(1.2)

270

(0.9)

273

(0.9)

274

(1.0)

274

(0.8)

276

(0.8)

281

(1.0)

279

(1.0)

281

(0.9)

285

(1.1)

Sex

Male

265

(1.3)

264

(1.3)

269

(1.4)

270

(1.1)

271

(1.2)

274

(1.1)

276

(1.3)

276

(0.9)

277

(0.9)

283

(1.2)

279

(1.0)

284

(1.0)

286

(1.3)

Female

267

(1.1)

265

(1.1)

268

(1.1)

268

(1.5)

270

(0.9)

272

(1.0)

273

(1.0)

272

(1.0)

274

(1.1)

279

(1.0)

278

(1.2)

279

(1.0)

284

(1.1)

Gap between female and male score

2

(1.7)

1

(1.7)

-1

(1.7)

-2

(1.9)

-2

(1.5)

-2

(1.5)

-3

(1.6)

-4

(1.4)

-3

(1.4)

-3

(1.6)

-1

(1.6)

-4

(1.4)

-2

(1.7)

Race/ethnicity

White

274

(0.9)

272

(0.8)

274

(1.0)

274

(1.3)

276

(1.1)

279

(0.9)

281

(0.9)

281

(0.9)

283

(0.8)

288

(0.9)

287

(0.9)

290

(1.2)

293

(1.1)

Black

228

(1.9)

230

(1.9)

240

(1.6)

249

(2.3)

249

(2.3)

250

(1.9)

252

(3.5)

252

(1.3)

251

(2.6)

262

(1.6)

257

(1.8)

262

(1.2)

264

(1.9)

Hispanic

239

(2.2)

238

(2.0)

252

(1.7)

254

(2.9)

255

(1.8)

259

(1.8)

256

(1.9)

256

(1.6)

259

(1.7)

265

(2.0)

264

(1.5)

268

(1.2)

271

(1.4)

Gap between White and Black score

46

(2.1)

42

(2.1)

34

(1.9)

24

(2.6)

27

(2.6)

29

(2.1)

29

(3.7)

29

(1.6)

32

(2.7)

27

(1.8)

30

(2.1)

28

(1.7)

28

(2.2)

Gap between White and Hispanic score

35

(2.4)

34

(2.1)

22

(1.9)

19

(3.2)

22

(2.1)

20

(2.0)

25

(2.1)

25

(1.9)

24

(1.9)

23

(2.2)

23

(1.8)

23

(1.7)

21

(1.8)

Parents' highest level of education

Did not finish high school

—

(†)

245

(1.2)

251

(1.4)

252

(2.3)

253

(1.8)

256

(1.0)

255

(2.1)

254

(2.4)

256

(2.8)

262

(2.2)

263

(1.9)

268

(1.3)

266

(2.5)

Graduated high school

—

(†)

263

(1.0)

263

(0.8)

263

(1.2)

263

(1.2)

263

(1.2)

266

(1.1)

267

(1.1)

264

(1.1)

271

(1.7)

270

(1.3)

272

(1.1)

270

(1.1)

Some education after high school

—

(†)

273

(1.2)

275

(0.9)

274

(0.8)

277

(1.0)

278

(1.0)

277

(1.6)

277

(1.4)

279

(0.9)

283

(1.0)

282

(1.4)

285

(1.1)

286

(1.4)

Graduated college

—

(†)

284

(1.2)

282

(1.5)

280

(1.4)

280

(1.0)

283

(1.0)

285

(1.2)

283

(1.2)

286

(1.0)

292

(0.9)

289

(1.1)

291

(1.0)

296

(1.3)

17-year-olds

All students

304

(1.1)

300

(1.0)

298

(0.9)

302

(0.9)

305

(0.9)

307

(0.9)

306

(1.0)

307

(1.2)

308

(1.0)

307

(0.8)

305

(0.7)

306

(0.6)

306

(0.8)

Sex

Male

309

(1.2)

304

(1.0)

301

(1.0)

305

(1.2)

306

(1.1)

309

(1.1)

309

(1.4)

310

(1.3)

310

(1.4)

308

(1.0)

307

(0.9)

309

(0.7)

308

(1.0)

Female

301

(1.1)

297

(1.0)

296

(1.0)

299

(1.0)

303

(1.1)

305

(1.1)

304

(1.1)

305

(1.4)

307

(1.0)

305

(0.9)

304

(0.8)

303

(0.8)

304

(0.8)

Gap between female and male score

-8

(1.6)

-7

(1.4)

-6

(1.4)

-5

(1.5)

-3

(1.5)

-4

(1.5)

-4

(1.8)

-5

(1.9)

-3

(1.7)

-3

(1.4)

-3

(1.2)

-5

(1.1)

-4

(1.3)

Race/ethnicity

White

310

(1.1)

306

(0.9)

304

(0.9)

308

(1.0)

309

(1.0)

312

(0.8)

312

(1.1)

313

(1.4)

315

(1.1)

313

(0.7)

311

(0.7)

314

(0.7)

314

(1.0)

Black

270

(1.3)

268

(1.3)

272

(1.2)

279

(2.1)

289

(2.8)

286

(2.2)

286

(1.8)

286

(1.7)

283

(1.5)

285

(1.6)

284

(1.4)

287

(1.2)

288

(1.3)

Hispanic

277

(2.2)

276

(2.3)

277

(1.8)

283

(2.9)

284

(2.9)

292

(2.6)

291

(3.7)

292

(2.1)

293

(2.5)

289

(1.8)

292

(1.2)

293

(1.1)

294

(1.1)

Gap between White and Black score

40

(1.7)

38

(1.6)

32

(1.5)

29

(2.3)

21

(3.0)

26

(2.4)

27

(2.1)

27

(2.2)

31

(1.9)

28

(1.8)

27

(1.6)

26

(1.4)

26

(1.6)

Gap between White and Hispanic score

33

(2.5)

30

(2.4)

27

(2.0)

24

(3.0)

26

(3.1)

20

(2.8)

22

(3.9)

21

(2.5)

22

(2.7)

24

(1.9)

19

(1.4)

21

(1.3)

19

(1.5)

Parents' highest level of education

Did not finish high school

—

(†)

280

(1.2)

279

(1.0)

279

(2.3)

285

(2.2)

285

(2.3)

284

(2.4)

281

(2.4)

289

(1.8)

287

(2.4)

287

(1.2)

292

(1.3)

290

(1.4)

Graduated high school

—

(†)

294

(0.8)

293

(0.8)

293

(1.0)

294

(0.9)

298

(1.7)

295

(1.1)

297

(2.4)

299

(1.6)

295

(1.1)

294

(0.9)

296

(1.2)

291

(1.1)

Some education after high school

—

(†)

305

(0.9)

304

(0.9)

305

(1.2)

308

(1.0)

308

(1.1)

305

(1.3)

307

(1.5)

308

(1.6)

306

(1.1)

305

(0.9)

306

(0.8)

306

(0.9)

Graduated college

—

(†)

317

(1.0)

312

(1.0)

314

(1.4)

316

(1.3)

316

(1.0)

318

(1.4)

317

(1.3)

317

(1.2)

317

(0.9)

315

(0.9)

316

(0.7)

317

(0.8)

—Not available.

†Not applicable.

#Rounds to zero.

1 In 2004, two assessments were conducted--one using the same format that was used in previous assessments, and one using a revised assessment format that provides accommodations for students with disabilities and for English language learners. The 2004 data in column 11 are for the format that was used in previous assessment years, while the 2004 data in column 12 are for the revised format. In subsequent years, only the revised format was used.

NOTE: Scale ranges from 0 to 500. Students scoring 150 (or higher) know some basic addition and subtraction facts. Students scoring 200 have a considerable understanding of two-digit numbers and know some basic multiplication and division facts. Students scoring 250 have an initial understanding of the four basic operations and are developing an ability to analyze simple logical relations. Students scoring 300 can perform reasoning and problem solving involving fractions, decimals, percents, elementary geometry, and simple algebra. Students scoring 350 can perform reasoning and problem solving involving geometry, algebra, and beginning statistics and probability. Includes public and private schools. For assessment years prior to 2004, accommodations were not permitted. For 2004 (revised format) and later years, includes students tested with accommodations; excludes only those students with disabilities and English language learners who were unable to be tested even with accommodations (1 to 4 percent of all students, depending on age and assessment year). Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Totals include other racial/ethnic groups not shown separately.